- Seeing a caterpillar change into a butterfly gives young learners visual evidence of the insect's life cycles. The youngsters will see the egg first, then the caterpillar, then the cocoon and finally the adult butterfly. Through this process, students will learn how insects grow and how this process is different than the life cycle of humans.
- Introduce the idea of caterpillars and butterflies to your young students with any of a number of books on the subject. Some popular titles include "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle, "Waiting for Wings" by Lois Ehlert and "A Very Magical Caterpillar Tale: The Story of the Butterfly Life Cycle" by Audrey M. Roy. Working these books into your normal story time routine will help broach the subject with your youngsters.
- Reinforce what your students are learning with fun activities. Have the students draw the different stages of a caterpillar transformation into a butterfly and staple the pages together in a book. You can also have the children act out the different stages by curling into a ball to represent the egg, wiggle around on the ground to represent the caterpillar, get under a blanket to simulate the cocoon and burst out and "fly" around the room like a butterfly.
- A great way for your preschoolers to personally see what you're teaching them is to build your own butterfly garden. Certain plants native to different areas can be included in a garden and draw many species of caterpillars and butterflies. Check around to see what plants would work well in your area. Be sure to have clearance from your school administrators before making your own butterfly garden. If creating your own garden is not possible, look into scheduling a field trip to an existing garden.
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